Turkey’s internet regulator, the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK), blocked access to Instagram without any explanation today (August 2). The move left the country’s 85 million citizens without access to the social media platform, 50 million of which reportedly have active accounts.
“Instagram.com has been blocked by a decision on the date of 08/02/2024,” BTK’s website briefly says, according to local media outlets. Government-affiliated Daily Sabah claims the block resulted from Instagram “censoring” posts by Turkish users mourning the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, CNBC reports.
This aligns with earlier comments by Turkey’s presidential communications director, who criticized the platform for preventing users from expressing condolences. For clarity, it’s important to note that Turkey doesn’t designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Interestingly, the block appears to target only Instagram. Other Meta-owned platforms, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, remain accessible in Turkey. This selective restriction adds to the confusion surrounding the government’s motives.
At the time of writing this, Meta still hasn’t issued a statement regarding the ban. However, the company’s recent U.S. regulatory filing mentioned potential actions by the Turkish government to limit or eliminate its Turkish advertising revenue if found in violation of local regulations.
“If we are found to be out of compliance with certain legal requirements for companies in Turkey, the Turkish government could take action to reduce or eliminate our Turkey-based advertising revenue or otherwise adversely impact access to our products.”
Concerns over growing censorship in Turkey
This incident adds weight to concerns about Turkey’s alleged use of internet censorship as a political tool. Earlier this year, the government threatened to ban X (formerly Twitter) after the platform refused to remove controversial posts. This pressure eventually led X to comply.
The number of websites blocked by Turkish authorities has climbed significantly in recent years, with an estimated one million domains completely inaccessible as of early 2024. YouTube was also blocked in Turkey from 2007 to 2010.
[via PetaPixel]
